The invention relates generally to a power connector and, more particularly, to an electrical contact and connector configured for power distribution.
In the past, a variety of connectors have been utilized for power and signal distribution applications. A wide variety of electrical connectors exist for use today depending upon the environment and application for which it is intended. In some applications, multiple sets of wires are needed to be joined by an electrical connector for a variety of applications. Examples of such applications may be found in residential or commercial environments whenever cross connecting of different wires is required.
Specialized wire for performing electro-thermal conversion is commonly referred to as heater wire. Conventionally, heater wire may be fabricated from metallic or carbon-based materials and may include a single solid conductive strand or may include multiple conductive strands. Heater wire is used in a variety of applications including measurement systems, industrial heating processes, and in textile articles, such as electric blankets. Conventional connectors are configured to connect two wires, such as feed line and a specialized wire.
However, when the two wires are formed of dissimilar materials, conventional connectors are unable to join the wires reliably while facilitating power distribution between the wires. In addition, in certain applications, the two wires may be oriented perpendicular to one another and cross one another at a right angle at the point of intersection. A plurality of such wires may, for example, form a mesh pattern in an electric blanket. Existing connectors have not proven suitable to connect wires overlapping at a right angle. A need exists for a connector better suited to connect wires formed of dissimilar materials and oriented in a non-parallel relation.